“Gwen, watch out!”
Rusty called out as the flame bird descended with terrifying speed, leaving a bright trail of sparks in the air. He did not hesitate, stepping in front of her. His iron greaves scraped against the cobblestone path, and the hollow sound of his armored body echoed through the narrow passage.
He raised his shield and braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, the flame bird did something unexpected. It veered to the side, arcing around both him and Gwen. Rather than flying into her, it slammed into the rose hedge behind them, causing it to burst into flames.
“What?”
The fire spread instantly. The dry, mana-infused leaves hissed and crackled as bright orange tongues of flame consumed the greenery, sending a thick column of dark, pungent smoke skyward.
“No, the hedge!”
Gwen gasped as everyone gathered there turned their attention to the monster they had been trying to sneak past. The massive figure reacted almost immediately. The grinding of its shears stopped completely. Slowly, the Hedge Trimmer turned its hooded head toward the burning hedge, the dark void beneath its cowl fixed on the destruction.
“What is it doing?”
One of the knights asked as the monster simply stood still. For a few seconds, it seemed as though it would do nothing. Then something changed. Its many arms began snapping and bending at unnatural angles while the sound of breaking bones echoed through the garden. It threw its head back and released a menacing shriek before lunging at the person standing directly behind the burning hedge: Gwen.
There was no time for Rusty to think about who had summoned the magical bird. He only needed to protect Gwen. His stance shifted as he had already begun increasing his size before the monster even lunged. However, even with his enlarged frame and the heavy tower shield in his hand, the force of the attack far exceeded anything he had expected.
‘A C-rank?’
As a D-rank monster, he already knew he was at a disadvantage. The massive shears slammed into Rusty's tower shield with a metallic screech. The force of the impact reverberated through his hollow frame, sending his twilight-steel boots skidding backward and carving deep grooves into the dirt path. Sparks flew in every direction as the Hedge Trimmer unleashed a relentless barrage.
Its many hands became little more than a blur as they hammered against his shield without pause. Only after increasing his weight several times was he able to stop himself from being pushed back. Even then, he could do nothing but endure. He had always been proud of his defensive abilities, believing they surpassed what someone of his rank should possess. When it came to taking hits, he had considered himself superior to almost anyone. But after noticing the deep gashes carved into his thick tower shield, he realized it was only a matter of time before the monster tore through the shield and then through the thinner armor of his own body.
“Hold the line!”
While the other summoners and knights were stunned by the monster's sudden assault, Syber kept a cool head. He had already transformed by fusing with his tiger summon. His body was covered in white fur marked with dark tiger stripes, and he slammed a clawed hand into the monster's side as it continued its relentless assault on Rusty's shield.
"Hard..."
Yet instead of seeing the monster's blood or any real damage, his claws almost snapped from the impact. His whole arm recoiled as if he had just struck a solid block of steel. The Hedge Trimmer barely registered Syber's attack. It did not even bother attacking him properly. It simply swung one of its blades at him as though it were swatting away a buzzing fly.
"Ugh."
Syber instantly jumped back. The blade grazed his left cheek, drawing blood before he could dodge in time. However, it was enough to snap the others out of their shock. Moments later, the arm that had nearly beheaded Syber was wrapped in a sticky web fired from Aranea's spider summon.
The thick silken threads coiled tightly around the monster's upper limbs, trying to stop it from attacking Rusty and reaching Gwen behind him. Even the massive spider was quickly dragged forward. It dug all eight of its legs into the hard ground, its claws carving deep grooves through the earth, but it was still overpowered.
"Aid the lady!"
With Aranea making the first move, Eldric and Aldric finally joined the fight. One ordered his golem to grab the webbing, while the other sent his snakes to bite the monster. Soon after, the knights and the remaining summoners rushed in to help. Some used their summons to launch projectiles at the creature, while others attacked it directly.
Yet almost every attack bounced harmlessly off its body, and any creature that ventured too close was cut down by the monster's flailing arms.
"Keep at it! It's faltering!"
Not all was lost. Thanks to Rusty holding the line, the monster's health was slowly decreasing. Chains of twilight energy wrapped around him, restoring his health, and with Gwen's help, even his shield began repairing itself, something he had not thought was possible.
"I'll help too!"
Astrella and several other summoners focused on support skills joined in. Slowly but surely, the tide began to turn as their weapons finally started breaking through the monster's hardened, bandaged exterior.
The monster stopped swinging its arms, but by then it was too late. Aranea's poisonous webs had covered its entire body, pinning it in place. The knights switched to the spears stored in their spatial bags and stabbed from a safe distance, piercing the monster while staying beyond the reach of its violent, chaotic attacks.
"W-we did it!"
The monster shrieked again. Its long arms cracked several times as it struggled to free itself, but it could not break loose. Eventually, it went limp and collapsed, still pinned to the ground beneath the cocoon of webbing.
"We beat a Hedge Trimmer!"
While the knight cadets celebrated their victory, Rusty examined his shield. It was riddled with holes and deep gashes that were slowly knitting themselves back together thanks to Gwen's mana. She was barely hanging on and was already drinking her second mana potion after holding the monster back for only a few minutes.
"Wait... we need to get out of here. Did you forget what that Knight Captain said?"
Rusty turned toward the burning hedge behind them. Thick smoke surged from the blazing rose bushes, rising high into the air like a beacon. It carried a sweet, almost suffocating scent of roses, but after a few moments, the fragrance twisted into a strange, foul stench.
“He is right.”
Syber said as he wiped the blood from his cheek. The wound was already beginning to heal rapidly thanks to the effects of his tiger form.
“The smoke. The captain said it brings more of them.”
As if on cue, the shifting maze around them seemed to come alive. From deep within the distant passages came the sounds of grinding metal. The noise did not come from just one direction. Metallic snips and heavy scrapes echoed from the left, the right, and the paths directly ahead, leaving only a single path silent.
“More of those things are coming?”
Astrella’s voice rose higher than usual as panic began to overtake her.
“But we barely beat one! What about the knight captain? Won’t he see the smoke and come help us?”
She turned to the knights accompanying them, who, like her, were beginning to panic.
“Before the knight captain arrives, we’ll all be dead. The smoke we can see here won’t be nearly as noticeable from the main fortress.”
The young knight spoke with a pale face. They had already been making their way through the thorny labyrinth for nearly two hours. Even if the adult knights and their summoning teachers rushed to their aid, it would likely be too late. They needed to run.
“Well… what are we waiting for? We should go!”
Rusty did not waste time asking questions. Instead, he reached out with his enlarged hand and lifted Gwen by the waist, his massive gauntlet giving him a secure grip. He did not forget about Astrella either, who would never be able to keep up with his Goliath form on foot. Without waiting for an answer, he charged down the only path that was free of the monsters’ metallic cries.
The twilight-steel soles of Rusty’s boots almost pulverized the rocks beneath him as he surged forward. He started slowly, first canceling his weight-increasing skill. Although this form was slower than his others, once he gathered momentum, his long strides quickly made up the difference. Before long, he was moving faster than the rest while carrying both girls in his hands.
“Ack… I’m going… I’m going to…”
Astrella’s face had turned pale as she was jostled around by the relentless pace. Gwen, on the other hand, merely looked dizzy and had already lost consciousness, but that did not stop Rusty from maintaining a steady speed. Syber, who was the fastest among them, ran at Rusty’s side, while Aranea followed close behind with her giant spider.
“Don’t look back. Just keep running. If those creatures are attracted to the flames, they should lose track of us once we get far enough away.”
Syber shouted as he scanned the path ahead. His prediction seemed correct because the grinding sounds behind them gradually faded. Even so, they were still far from safe. The maze remained a winding nightmare of identical green walls, and every turn felt like a gamble.
Rusty had no idea which way to go, so he simply followed Syber, who seemed to possess some sort of enhanced tracking ability and perhaps a keen enough sense of smell to detect danger ahead. They continued running, and only after more than fifteen minutes had passed did they finally begin to slow down.
“I think this should be far enough.”
Rusty called out to Syber, who began to slow down. They found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the maze, surrounded by rose hedges even taller than before. To make matters worse, once he turned around, he realized that many of the others were missing.
“Where is everyone? Are they coming?”
He had been focused on carrying Gwen and Astrella carefully, knowing how fragile humanoids could be. Because of that, he had paid little attention to what was happening behind him. The giant spider Aranea was riding also generated a lot of noise, and it seemed that only four of the summoners had managed to keep up.
‘Wait, someone else is coming.’
Before he could say anything, Rusty noticed another life signal approaching. It was not a monster but another humanoid. He gently set Gwen and Astrella down and looked toward the approaching figure. It was someone he had only seen in passing, a person who didn’t stand out previously.
“P-please wait for me...”
It was one of the knight trainees who had joined them for the exercise. He was not one of those who had tried to curry favor with Aranea, but someone who had arrived alongside the other cadets. He did not seem to be trying to impress anyone in particular. He was probably there simply to prove himself, or perhaps had been ordered by the academy instructors to participate for class credit.
Aranea brought her spider summon to a halt, its massive hairy legs twitching as it settled onto the road. She was just about to attack the young man who had come into view, but Rusty quickly raised a hand to stop her.
“Wait, Aranea. That's one of the knights.”
She immediately stopped the spider, which had already turned around and was preparing to spit poison at the potential threat approaching from behind. The young man flinched and stumbled as he saw the giant spider rear back, its fangs poised to strike.
“Ack... No, don't! I'm on your side!”
He stumbled forward and rolled once before one of the spider's legs blocked his path. He was of average build, but one feature immediately stood out: his short bright red hair and crimson eyes.
“So that makes us five. I don't think anyone else is coming. Perhaps we should ask this humanoid if he knows what happened to the others?”
Rusty turned his helmet toward Syber, who had stepped closer to get a better look at the newcomer. Gwen was still unconscious, and Astrella, who usually did all the talking, looked pale and nauseous.
“You there, knight trainee. What happened to the rest of you? And to the other summoner students?”
Syber nodded and addressed the young man.
“Ah, well... There's another problem that happens if the hedge maze burns.”
He spoke while quickly climbing back to his feet.
“There is?”
Syber asked.
“Yes. If the hedges start burning, the maze changes its layout, shifting around and creating new paths.”
“So you're saying the maze shifted?”
“Yes. I think a wall grew up behind me while I was running, trapping the others. I'm sure they're safe. They're just somewhere else in this maze.”
The red haired knight brushed the dirt from his metal chestplate, his hands trembling slightly as he took a deep breath. His armor was scratched, and a few stray rose petals were caught in the seams of his gauntlets.
"Ah, excuse my manners. My name is Kaelen."
The young man bowed before the four summoners. His voice was loud and steady. Even though he had gone through the same ordeal, he remained remarkably calm and still showed proper respect to the nobles among them.
"So, you made it through while the others remained behind?"
"Yes, milord. I barely made it through the gap before the greenery closed. The walls moved so fast."
Syber flinched slightly at being addressed that way and quickly corrected the knight cadet.
"I'm not a noble lord. Only those two are... and that one you can ignore."
He pointed at Gwen and Aranea, who remained seated on her spider. Then he gestured toward Astrella, who was neither of noble birth nor entirely human, being part fairy.
"Ah, I see..."
Another awkward silence settled over the group. It made Rusty realize just how much they had relied on Astrella to keep conversations moving.
"Regardless of who is who, we need a plan. Does anyone here know how to get back to the others, or to that fortress and the knights?"
Rusty asked as Gwen began to wake up. They were now separated from the rest of their group and would have to defend themselves against any danger they encountered. There was also the matter of the flaming bird, which was yet another attempt on his summoner's life, an attack he had barely managed to stop.